Honker 15' sneak preview

"Honker: a highly serviceable hunting and fishing skiff." That was the description of an attractive boat that we discovered in an old Do It Yourself magazine from the 50's. We were researching duck boats in preparation for the design of the Duck Skiff 15 (DS15) and DS12. Many types of boats can be used for hunting, our GF boats for example, and some duck boats can be used for other purposes.

The Honker is one of those boats multi purpose boats and we decided to adapt the old plywood on frame design to our material. We liked the semi decked hull and the high coaming. The raised transom will take a small outboard: we did cut a tiny motor well in the aft deck to reach the clamps. She could also be built without the gunwales (side decks) for those who want to row her.

The flat bottom hull is easy to build. This is a 3 panel boat, the hull goes together in one week-end. Our second generation stitch and glue method will produce a lighter, stronger and longer lasting boat that can be built with minimal tools. Plywood on frame requires wood working skills and equipment: parts must be accurately bevelled for tight joints and metallic fasteners are used. In stitch and glue, you cut the hull panels, bend them around the simple plywood frames and tape all seams with fiberglass and epoxy. A perfect fit between parts is not required, quite the opposite, we prefer a small gap. No jig is required to build this boat. The hull is fiberglassed: in this case the whole outside. All plywood is coated with epoxy before painting.

The Honker will fit even the smallest budget: 5 sheets of 1/4" (6 mm) plywood and a few gallons of epoxy is all that you need. Fully decked and fitted with a nice coaming, her cockpit will stay relatively dry.

The Honker is wider and more stable than a canoe. You can fit her with an electric trolling motor or a small outboard and also use paddles.

LOA: 14'-10 "/4.50 m
Max. Beam: 3'-7"/1,10 m
Draft at DWL: almost nothing
Hull weight: 110 lbs./50 kg
Max. HP: 1.5/1 Kw

Full details and plans available next week on the bateau.com site.